Shipping-crate.



PATENTED JAN. 13 1903.

E. G. TUPTS.

SHIPPING CRATE.

Miran TATES ATENT OFFICE.

ELMER c. TUFTS, or AURORA, INDIANA.

SHIPPING-CRATE.

SPECIFICATION forming art of Letters Patent N o. 718,402, dated January 13, 1903.

Application filed February 8,1902. Serial No. 93.177. (No modelJ To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ELMER G. Tmr'rs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Aurora ,in the county of Dearborn and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shipping-Crates; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and.

exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention has relation to shippingcrates, and more particularly to crates designed, primarily,for shipping smallfruits, as berries or the like; and it consists of certain novel features of combination and construc I tion of parts, the preferred form whereof will be hereinafter fully set forth, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

The prime object of my invention is to provide a shipping-crate which will consist of a plurality of individual sections or receptacles which may be very expeditiously and cheaply manufactured and quickly assembled in operative combination, the parts of one individual crate being so formed and shaped as to readily receive and cooperate with a contiguous part of the next adjacent section.

A further object is to provide simple and cheap though reliably efficient means for looking or holding the several crate-sections when combined together.

Other objects and advantages will be made clearly apparent from the following specification, considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved shipping-crate complete, showing a number of nest-sections assembled together. Fig. 2 is a perspective detail view showing oneof the crate-sections separated. Fig. 3 shows two of the sections assembled together, the top section carrying the lid, which is secured direct thereto. Fig. at is a perspective View showing part of end with upper part broken away. Fig. 5 is a detail of preferred fastener.

In order to conveniently refer to the several features of my invention, numerals will be employed, of which 1 designates the side sections, while 2 indicates the end sections, forming my improved crate, it being understood that said parts may be made of any preferred size and of any material deemed suitable for the purpose. The side sections are connected together by the uprights 3," while the end sections 2 are similarly reinforced and supported by the members 4. I desire to call particular attention to the construction of said members 4., inasmuch'as it will be observed that the upper ends-thereof are provided upon their inner corners with the recess 5,while the lower ends thereof are provided upon their outer corners or ends with the recesses 6, and it is therefore obvious-by reference to Fig. 1 that the upper recesses 5 will receive the depending ends 7 of the next section above, thus causing said end sections or members t to partially overlap each other and insure that the upper section will be held against anylateral movement.

' Since the depending ends 7 of the members 4 will reach down in the recess 5, said extended end will rest directly against a contiguous IIlOVBlIlGlll].

The floor-sections 8 reach from end to end and are secured directly to the upper edge of the lower end section 2 by screws or nails, and said floor-sections are therefore disposed substantially in the middle portion of each crate-section instead of being disposed upon the bottom side thereof, as is common. By this arrangement of the floor-sections 8 I am enabled to place a row of boxes or the like so that they will rest above the surface of the next lower section sufficiently to insure that said boxes will protrude upward until they are level with the top of each section. The floor-sections are designed to form covers therefor and prevent the berries or the like from casually slipping out of the boxes.

It will, of course be understood that the 'usual form of covers may be employed for the boxes, if preferred, though the location of the sections 8 may be such as to insure that one row of boxes will be covered by each section. Itis therefore clear by the construction above described that any one whether skilled in the use of tools or not may readily form my improved shipping-crate from any suitable variety of lumber or boards, and by providing the recesses 5 and 6 in the members l a locking device which will hold the independent sections against relative movement will be provided.

In order that the several independent sections may be built up or nested with each other and secured against casually falling out of place should the entire number of assembled crates be turned upon end, I provide the locking-bails 9, one for each end of each independent crate, said bails being formed of wire of suitable diameter properly bent, as indicated, and secured in place in any preferred way, as by the staple 10. The said bails are substantially V-shaped and are of sufficient length to reach downward to the middle of the next contiguous crate and be engaged by the rotatable keeper or hook 11, as clearly indicated.

In Fig. l I have shown the lid 12 as being attached to astrip 13 by hinges 14 or the equivalent, said strip 13 being nailed upon the top of one crate-section, while in Fig. 3 I have shown the lid and the strip 13 as being differently mounted in position, inasmuch as it will be seen that the upper half of one of the independent crate-sections is removed and said strip 13 attached thereto, thus insuring that the lid 12 will not rest directly upon the berries, yet retain them in position in the receptacles provided therefor.

It will be understood that a portion of the top section may be removed, together with the floor-sections S, the said floor-sections to be replaced by directly connecting the lid to the frame portion thus left, as shown in Fig. 3, though I prefer to employ the construction illustrated in Fig. l and leave the floor-sections in place and attach the lid a proper distance above said floor-sections, so as to leave space for other crates full of berries to be disposed thereon. By the arrangement of my improved crate construction each of the berry or fruit boxes may be filled heapingly full, and the upper berries will be in no wise damaged by contacting with the lid or with the under side of the next adjacent floor-sections.

In Figs. 4 and 5 I have illustrated the preferred form of fastening device which I wish to employ in holding two or more crates in combination with each other, wherein it will be observed that the bail 9 is designed to cooperate with the form of catch or fastener illustrated in detail in Fig. 5. The said fastener or keeper comprises the stem 15, designed to be seated in a suitable aperture in one of the end sections and being formed of a suitable piece of wire is bent downward and upward to provide the loop-sections 16, While the free end of the wire is bent upon itself to provide the finger 17, which being in the form of a hook, as illustrated in Fig. 5, is designed to engage the middle portion of the bail 9 and hold the same securely in place. When it is desired to release the hail, the loop member 16 may be moved laterally and upward, thereby bringing the finger 17 so that it will point downward, and thus enable the bail to be slipped out of engagement therewith. The stem 15 is designed to eX- tend entirely through an aperture provided in one of the end sections and is then provided with a washer 18, when by upsetting the end of the stem 15 the same will be reliably held in place, whereby the same may be freely rotated, but cannot be withdrawn. I reserve the right to locate my improved form of securing device differently from what I have herein illustrated in Fig. 1, inasmuch as the bail may, for instance, be carried by the top end section, as shown in Fig. 4, of one of the individual crates and extended upward into engagement with the keeper or finger 17, which latter is carried by the next adjacent end section of the crate above.

By the construction just described for the several independent crate-sections it is obvious that a shipping-crate of any preferred size may be readily built up by assembling any desired number of said independent sections together. All of the said independent sections being readily interchangeable leaves it a matter of no importance as to where any of the independent sections should be located d uring the assembling process. While I have described the preferred construction of the various details, I wish to comprehend in this application all substantial equivalents and substitutes therefor.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The herein described shipping crate comprising a plurality of independent cratesections each formed substantially in the manner specified and provided at each end with the members 4 having the recesses 5 and 6 at their outer and inner corners respectively adapted to intermesh with each other whereby the independent sections will be held against lateral and longitudinal movement, in combination with locking-bails 9 adapted to engage a keeper carried by the next contiguous section and suitable lid-sections secured to one of the independent sections adapted to form the top of the assembled crates, all substantially as specified and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a shipping-crate, a plurality of independent crate-sections comprising separated ends and sides and intermediate floor supported upon the upper edge of the lowermost of the ends and vertically-disposed reinforcing members 4 secured to said ends and provided at their upper ends upon their inner corners and at their lower ends upon their outer corners with recesses, the depending portions formed by the lowermost recesses adapted to engage the recesses at the upper ends of said members on the next lowermost crate, pivoted bails on the lowermost end piece of one crate and cooperating means on the uppermost end piece of the next adjoining crate, and a strip secured to the uppermost crate and having a hinged lid carried by said strip, all substantially as herein shown and described.

. In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

,ELMER G. TUFTS.

Witnesses:

R. ADIN SAWDoN, WALTER S. TUFTs. 

